Money No Enough 2

Just watched Money No Enough 2. That's what happens when you have a baby i guess... no more movies at the cinema. Gotta wait till it's out on DVD. Well, at least it's WAYYYY more economical. $5 for rental and 6 of us watched it, versus $9 each for movie tix, plus parking, plus popcorn... I do miss movie dates tho... anyone wants to babysit Glory for a night? ;)

Anyway, back to the show.
It is NOT a comedy.
There were the usual digs at the government, but this time less witty and biting. The complaints have been repeated so often it's not even funny anymore. It doesn't even stir up that nanosecond of "righteous indignation".
And, it is not a comedy, because i cried more than i laughed.
It's wrenchingly painful to see how the 3 male character's mother was taken for granted and sidelined in their quest for survival/prosperity/convenience/enjoyment. It's painful to see, because it is so real. For JAck Neo's character, it is outrightly wrong - he had the ability to give his mother a comfortable life, but chose not to, for selfish reason. What then, if, like Mark Lee's character, there was no one home to care for an elderly mother?
An Old Folks' Home must seem so dreary to the aged. After a lifetime of sacrificing for her kids, she's sent away from her loved ones to be with strangers. Horrible horrible horrible. Yet before i take the moral high horse and start condemning others, perhaps for some people, in their circumstances, that was the only way?
A mother now, i understand this awesome and unfathomable love a mother has for her child. And i know how i would be willing to do anything for Glory, however hard or painful. We mothers would wake up 5 times a night if needed, stop working if needed, work AND mother if needed, do whatever it takes without complaints to give the best for our kids... and yesterday i realized... hey, my mother felt/feels the same about me. And she did the same for me.
And for someone who once made all those sacrifices for me, it would be unforgiveable for me to give her any less than the best i can.
In the show, the Old Lady, who was suffering from dementia, woke Mark Lee up all through the night, looking for ummmm... various knick-knacks. Didn't we, as babies, woke our mothers up for feeds? Didn't they stay up for us -willingly and without complaints- when we were ill?
The Old Lady suffered from incontinence - as babies, didn't we also pee and poo and puke all over? And our mothers cleaned up after us without so much as a wrinkle of the nose.
So the Old Lady needs a room, didn't our parents change their lifestyles drastically to accomodate us, set aside rooms/money/ career to bring us up?
It goes a full circle, or it SHOULD go a full circle... we must look upon caring for aged parents as our duty, and a priority at that.
Should. Must. It's only right, really.

Bad Mood

I find it so high-handed and rude and unfair.
Feedback forms and surveys so frustratingly useless.
So kept-in-the-dark, so unsupported.
And everyone seems to be moving on to greener pastures.

If you appeared before me i'd scream at you for neglecting your kids.
If you appeared before me i'd question your resource allocation and unfair expectations.
If you appeared before me i'd kick you for starting it and leaving, and leaving for less than a noble cause.

But truth is, when you do appear before me, i'd just smile and make nice.

Damn.
Damn it all.
Damn me.
Lousy pushover.

do i need inspiration?
communication?
passion?
church camp?
a sabbatical?

o let this stupid mood pass.
is it possible to get pms while still breastfeeding?

i wanna go home and be with my baby.
but my husband is late and he's still not even on his way.
and i am hungry.

lousy lousy day.

Firsts: Spinach Puree!

Glory's taken to rice cereal pretty well. Yesterday, we offered her some spinach puree.
It looked a little gross, and the idea of it was rather unappetising. Imagine, spinach boiled and pureed. That's it. No condiments added, other than some milk. i was all ready to cut her some slack, to let her have perhaps just a spoonful or two.
But Glory seemed to enjoy it, she finished it all!

check out the spinach puree in the bowl. Would YOU eat it?

ok, so a third of the portion ended up on her face/ legs/ bumbo seat.

But still, Well Done, Sweetie!!
nothing. not related to spinach. just think she looks pretty here. =)

Firsts: Flips

Here's our newly flip-happy baby!

With her new-found skill, she's no longer completely dependent on us to move around.

Awake and no longer wanna lie down? Flip!

Toy too far away? Flip!

Mama too far away? Flip!

This morning, after i changed her, she decided she's given me enough time and flipped over even before i fastened the rompers.
Now i've got to make sure my diaper-changing skills are up to speed!

Firsts: Swim Time!

Glory's first swim @ Godma's place

in her super conservative wet suit. Papa says no bikinis.

hey hey hey! there's cold water entering my suit! is that normal?

Ducky, you cold too? Don't be scared ok? I'm here.

Warmed up! This is fun!

Poor Conversationalist

NSmen and new mothers are the worst conversationalists, i reckon.

I remember having to sit thru endless conversations with friends/brothers/cousins who were in NS. Their conversations were always about NS - some evil officers, some strange acronyms, some tough trainings, some unreasonable-superiors-who-are-incapable-but-are-superior-only- because-they-signed-on, some blur sabo-kings etc. They didn't seem to have anything else to talk about.

Now i'm like that, albeit i speak only about my daughter.

You know how i posted a blog entry about her turning over on her tummy only minutes ago? It wasn't enough for me. I seriously feel a need to walk through the staff room and informing every colleague. I honestly feel it deserves a spot in the front page of the Straits Times. (maybe i should call jianming) I seriously believe it is more important than whether the STI/ DJI etc goes up or down, economic crisis ends or worsens.

So... yeah.
You know what to expect when you next see me.
i will TRY to act like i am listening when we talk about other things.
but you know better.
I'm only waiting for a chance to link the conversation to my darling, then i'll drown you with a blow-by-blow account of how she turned on her tummy/ ate rice cereal/pretended to laugh and the 72,529 photos i have of her.

Be warned.

19th October 2008: On Her Tummy!

Glory flipped over to her belly last night!
We put her inchworm a distance away and she kept trying to reach for it... many attempts were REALLY close. Munch and i watched in anticipation.
"She's gonna make it real soon!" Munch commented, "Maybe tomorrow... haiz, we won't be around to see it. How?"
"We could take childcare leave for a week..."
i went off to brush my teeth, still watching her cute attempts. Reach-reach-reach-flop back. Reach-reach-reach-give up.
Have to let her experience success, i thought. perhaps i should push the inchworm closer to her so that she'll manage to grab it. i stepped closer.

And then it happened.

Glory looked around with a very pleased expression.
"Oh look at me!" She seemed to say, "I did it, i'm on my tummy, with no help!"
Toothbrush in my foaming mouth, i congratulated her and burst into my parents' room, gesticulating frantically. They seemed to understand coz they all rushed over.
=)

Ooh baby, i'm so proud of you!
You're so cute!
And i'm so intoxicated by your disarming smile and pretty eyes and milk breath and amusing chuckles, i think i can smell you even when i'm at work.
i'm so addicted to hugging you, i'm finding it hard to do anything!

Clockwatching's bad Bad BAD, but i'm counting down.... can't wait to be home with you again, you funny cutey sweetie pie!

Dear Uncle Alien

Dear Uncle Alien,
Thank you so much for asking about me. I'm doing very well so far.
Since we last met at my first month party, i've had a hair cut. Or rather, a very hardcore shave. My hair's currently still trying to grow back. Here are some pics!

Happily bald!

Tummy Time!

Praying... for Grandpas, Grandmas, PaPa, MaMa, Uncles, Aunty, Godpa, Godma and the construction workers working outside in the sun.

Meeting Miffy

Learning to sit

With the Inchworm and Book from Godma

I went to Fullerton for a one-night stay! Enjoyed it tremendously, especially the bed n the tub! =)

With cousin Natalie. She's grown so much!!

I may be small,
but i've got street cred!

MaMa has since taken on a second job - a paparazzi.

She reckons i am the cutest baby in the world and is trying to force the entire universe to look at my pics. So here are the links

Second Month

Second Month 2

Third Month

Third Month 2

Fourth Month

Not in love with me yet? Watch this video! =)









Admit it! I'm cute!

i succumbed

yesterday, after weeks of deliberation, i bought the Gap cap for Glory.

And in one historic moment, i rescinded on my pledge not to buy full-price branded frills for babies.

never again.

or so i say.